Wills and Fates
by GoGreen43
Summary: A woman can change the destiny of an entire kingdom. It is Merlin and his twin sister Evelyn's destiny to protect Prince Arthur, but they don't exactly like him, or think that he's even king material. The twins are forced to learn how to hide their magic while working for and protecting the prince, which calls for both hilarity and chaos. AU ArthurxOC MerlinXMorgana (Book 1)
1. Prelude

**"Our wills and fates do so contrary run**

 **That our devices still are overthrown;**

 **Our thoughts are ours, their ends none of our own."**

 **(** ** _Hamlet_** **, Act III, Sc. II), Player King**


	2. The Dragon's Call (Part I)

**The Dragon's Call**

 **Part I**

It seemed as though Merlin and I had been walking for ages. The sun was bright in the clear blue sky, beating down on the two of us and forcing me to have to stop a few times to catch my breath. Merlin, my elder by a measly two minutes, was now grinning as the castle was coming into view.

"Evie, we made it!" I looked over at my brother, smiling in return. His blue eyes met my own with a flicker of something I couldn't figure out. "I'm surprised we are on time after you made us stop every hour or so, my dear sister."

I scoffed and punched his arm. "Oh, be quiet, Merlin. I know you needed the breaks too."

He rolled his eyes before shooting my pants a quick look. "Evie, are you sure you want to show up wearing that? It might be off putting for some people in the castle, and the last thing we need is more attention-" Seeing the fire in my eyes he continued, "-Or not! You always look great, Eves."

Looking down at my pants, loose tunic, and jacket I sighed. I knew that most women who lived and worked near the castle refrained from wearing these clothes, and instead wore gowns and dresses that met the ankles. But from where Merlin and I grew up, the thought of wearing that was simply impractical.

We grew up on a farm in the small village of Ealdor, and because my father had left us at an early age Merlin and I had always done the manual labor and hard chore work. The two of us tried to keep our mother out of the fields as much as we could as she grew in age.

Not to mention when a woman is working a plow, the last thing she would want is for her skirts to get caught in the contraption, as nudity would get me nowhere. Besides, wearing pants was comfortable. I can see why men like them so much.

"Flattery will get you nowhere, brother," I grumbled. "I would not change the way I looked for even the Prince of Camelot himself. I like to be practical and comfortable, is that so wrong?"

"I see nothing wrong with it, dear sister."

 _Eves, don't worry about how you look- I have a nasty feeling I am going to have to fight men to keep away from you in Camelot!_ I smiled as my brother's voice sounded through my head.

 _There's only one of us who can fight, Merlin, and we both know it's not you._

I let out a laugh at my own words, not missing the eye roll that followed.

We continued to walk in silence as the white castle that was in the distance continued to get closer, and closer, until we had finally arrived. I felt my jaw go slack.

"Well, Merlin, it looks like we are not in Ealdor anymore."

Our eyes met shortly and our expressions were mirrored in amazement at the vibrant crowds and chatter that seemed to echo in the streets. _Yeah, Eves, this is very different from Ealdor,_ Merlin's voice sounded in my head.

I could only nod in agreement.

Merlin had to lean down to for me to hear him over the noise in the streets, "Now we just need to go find Gaius."

I quickly nodded in response, and we moved to continue on until I started to hear the faint sound of drums being played.

As Merlin and I turned to see what was going on, I could not stop the gasp that slipped through my mouth. There in front of the crowd was a wooden table large enough to hold a man, and a basket that laid beneath it. A guard holding an axe stood near the table, stock-still.

There was a man being led out from a side alcove to the square by two guards. He looked terrified, and my breath caught in my throat as I realized what was about to happen.

I could feel my heart sink to my stomach.

 _This looks like it is not going to be fun to watch,_ I thought to my brother. Quickly, I felt a sense of foreboding coming through our magical link.

"Let this serve as a lesson to all." The crowd looked up to see a regal-looking man standing proudly with a crown placed upon his head. "This man, Thomas James Collins is judged guilty with conspiracy using enchantments and magic."

I cursed quietly before looking up at my brother to see his eyes widening as the King of Camelot continued on.

"And to assume to the laws of Camelot, I, Uther Pendragon have decreed that such practices are banned, on penalty of death. I pride myself as a fair, just king. But on the crime of sorcery- there is but one sentence I can pass."

I felt as though I was going to be sick as the man was forced down and the guard with the axe swung. I closed my eyes before the contact was made, but I'm sure the sound was even worse. The axe cut through the flesh with ease, and his head dropped into the basket, spewing blood all over those right in front of it.

 _Merlin, he's just like us! And he's been killed for it!_

 _I know, Evie. Let's get out of here and find Gaius._

Merlin quickly grabbed my arm and started to lead me away with the sound of the King explaining his judgment, only to be cut off by a high-pitched moan that rang throughout the square.

"There is only one evil in this land and it is not magic, it is you," an old, frail woman cried. _She must have been Thomas's mother,_ I thought to Merlin, who nodded sharply.

"With your hatred, and your ignorance…. You took my son! But I promise you, before these celebrations are over you will share my tears!"

The crowd separated to get away from the woman defying the King, and a quiet turmoil could be heard.

"An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth!" the woman gasped, and my heart clenched in my chest. "A son for a son!"

"Seize her!" Uther cried out.

The woman whipped her head around, grabbed her amulet, and spoke a raspy spell before being whisked away by the wind and avoiding being taken by the King's knights. I looked to my brother. _What were we thinking by coming here, Merlin?_

 _I don't know, Evie._

Merlin and I stared at the dead body in shock as everyone quickly went on with their day, as if a sorceress had not just threatened the life of the prince of Camelot then used magic to run away. There was something _seriously_ wrong with these people.

"Evie, c'mon, we need to go find Gaius," Merlin said, cutting me out of my daze.

He led me to where a few guards were calmly stationed at an entrance to the castle, and looked at the two of them expectantly.

"Would any of you know where to find Gaius, the Court Physician?" I asked, placing a small smile on my face. The guards remained their place, but one pointed out the way for us, and after quickly thanking him, we went to find our uncle.

 _How rude._

 _You're just mad they didn't even spare you a glance, Eves._

I couldn't stop the roll of my eyes as we quickly made our way to Gaius's place, opening the door carefully after knocking. His home was full of potions and herbs and books that my head started to spin at the sight of it all.

 _Some home Gaius's got, huh?_ I slowly made my way over to the older man's desk.

I felt my twin's agreement. _It's a wonder how_ he _hasn't been executed for sorcery._

I glared at my idiot brother for the disrespectful comment towards our family friend, and he quickly looked away from my icy gaze. Smiling slightly in victory, I paged through a book that was about healing remedies on his desk.

"Gaius?" I heard Merlin ask, and I looked up just in time to see an old man fall off a ledge. I gasped as Merlin's eyes turned gold as he slowed down his fall with magic, and I quickly compensated and used my own magic to move the cot in the corner to break his fall.

"Agh!" Gaius exclaimed, before quickly getting off the cot to look at the two of us frantically. "What did the two of you just do?"

I pointed to Merlin. "Actually, it was all him."

"I-I don't know what happened," Merlin stuttered before quickly glaring at me. "And I wasn't alone, Evelyn."

"If anyone had seen that-"

"Uh no, that was nothing to do with us-" Merlin tried to speak, although Gaius quickly cut him off.

"I know what it was, I just want to know where you learned to do it!"

"Nowhere!" I exclaimed, drawing the old man's attention to myself. "Gaius, Merlin and I never studied magic, never learned how to do it… it's always just been there."

"Merlin? Hunith's son?"

"Uh-"

"Yes, Gaius. And I'm her daughter, Evelyn," I greeted him with a smile, walking up to stand beside Merlin, then not-so-subtly elbowed him in the gut.

"Owe!"

The man in front of us immediately looked confused. "But I thought you were supposed to come Wednesday?"

Merlin and I shared a look. Obviously this Gaius had his mind all over the place, which could be seen from the state of his quarters.

"It _is_ Wednesday, Gaius," Merlin said while rubbing his side.

"Ah. Right then. The two of you better put your bags in there," he pointed to a room. We grabbed our things and started to walk into the room before Merlin stopped in front of me, causing me to crash into him slightly.

"Gaius?" He asked, turning around. "Are you going to say anything about the," he then awkwardly gestured to the fallen fragments of wood and the moved cot.

He looked at the two of us, and I saw the corners of his lips pulling into what could be a smile. "No, I will not. And, Merlin… Evelyn… I should be saying thank you."

I nodded to him with a large smile and then walked past Merlin to place my things in the room we would be sharing. Once he came in, Merlin immediately collapsed onto his bed in relief far more dramatically than necessary. I just laughed and started to put my things away.

 **oOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo**

 _"Evelyn..."_

 _"Merlin…"_

 _"Evelyn…"_

My eyes snapped open and I was quickly met with the matching ones of my twin. It was obvious that we had both heard the same thing: someone… or something called out to us.

The voice quickly went silent.

 _Do you know what that was?_

Merlin shook his head. _I've got no idea, sis._

 _How wonderful._

I let out a sigh and rolled out of bed before yanking my pants on underneath my night dress, and gave Merlin a nasty look. "Will you please give a woman some privacy?"

"Evie, did you wake up on the wrong side of the bed this morning?" he asked cheekily. My glare seemed to be enough of an answer for him as he grabbed his clothes and scurried out of the room.

I quickly finished getting changed, and threw my long, dark hair into a braid. My tunic was a light grey that apparently made my eyes pop, according to Merlin. Plus, my mother had made it for me, making it all the more special.

Sitting on the bed, I couldn't help but think about why my twin and I had decided to come here. Obviously it was a horrible place for someone with magic, but surely there must be some reason my mother had been so adamant about us meeting with Gaius.

Merlin and I have had magic all of our lives, it has been something that has protected us and the people we love, but it has also been a curse. Men who have tried courting with me could never know about my magic, so I have had to accept that I will never marry, never have children, and never truly be normal.

Of course, when I was younger, I never really understood all that. I would have dreams about my wedding. It would have been grand, and hundreds of people would be in attendance. I always thought I would be married to a prince and we would live happily ever after…

Over the years, I finally learned that I would never be able to attain that dream, or any dreams like it. So, like all farm girls, I had to grow up and face reality. I also quickly learned that I needed to keep my head down and hide my magic at all costs, or the consequences may be deadly. Early on, all hopes of being something greater than what I already was vanished.

"Evelyn, you must eat some breakfast!"

"Coming, Gaius!"

I hurried into Gaius's main quarters and saw him mopping up a mess on the floor. "Where's Merlin?"

"Oh, your brother is just going to run some errands for me. I have a sandwich for you on the table, and once you finish I have a few errands for you as well."

I nodded, and started to eat the sandwich he had made me. "I do have a question for you, Evelyn."

Looking up at the older man I gave a small, encouraging smile. "Ask away."

"Is your magic similar to that of your brother's? Or is it different in any way?"

"Well, I'm pretty sure that was two questions Gaius," I said, semi-seriously. He lifted an eyebrow, coaxing me to be more serious, "Well, I suppose that Merlin and I both have magic that kind of works in the same way. If I think of something, it just reacts, just as his does. Although, his magic does seem to be a bit more complex than mine, but I think it's because we're at different levels of usage and we use it for different things."

Gaius sat the mop aside and looked at me quizzically. "What do you mean by that?"

I sighed. "Well, Merlin uses his magic for a lot of heavier lifting, and it's almost as it's been worked out more than mine has. If he uses it for a long span of time he doesn't tire as quickly as I do."

"So he is stronger with his magic than you are."

"I guess you could say that."

Taking a bite of my sandwich, I looked between him and the floor with a knowing gaze. "Did you test Merlin out this morning?"

The older man looked sheepish, but ignored my question as he put the mop and the bucket away. "I need you to give this potion to Lady Morgana this morning," he said instead, handing me a small vial of dark liquid. "This is for her feeling ill after yesterday's events."

I immediately thought of the beheading that took place and shuddered. "She lives inside the castle, correct?"

He nodded before returning to some work that he had picked up on. Probably some weird healing potions that he was working to perfect, which sounds positively boring to me.

"Well, I guess I'll see you later!"

I grabbed the vial and headed toward the door. "Wait, Evelyn! Do me a favor, and after you give this to Morgana will you go find your brother? I need to speak with him about something."

"Of course, Gaius," I assured him before quickly headed out the door, off on a search for the Lady Morgana.

After figuring out that it would probably take hours to find her, I decided to go ask the guards that showed Merlin and I to Gaius in the first place. To my surprise, they were the same men in place.

"Hello boys, I was wondering if you could direct me to Lady Morgana? I have some medicine for her from Gaius."

The two Guards looked at me, bewildered. Obviously a woman like me shouldn't speak so bluntly to men like them, as neither of them said a word to me, and quickly went back to their calm stance and stared forward. I sighed loudly, realizing I was going to have to resort to different matters.

"Alright, you two, you are going to tell me where to find Lady Morgana and you are going to do it now. Or I swear I will-"

"You're looking for Lady Morgana?" A small voice asked from behind me.

I turned around from the insulant guards to be face to face with a woman of color that was significantly shorter than me and wore a wide smile on her face. I couldn't help but smile back at her and stare in child-like awe at her natural beauty.

"Yes, I have a potion for her from Gaius. And you are?"

The woman blushed considerably, and looked down before quickly answering, "Oh, I'm sorry, my name is Guinevere. But people call me Gwen. I'm Lady Morgana's hand maid."

"Oh, okay." I had to fight the urge to kick myself for how stupid I sounded. "Can you show me to her?"

Gwen's smile was radiant as she answered, "Of course! I was just about to head up to her chambers. Come along."

She started to walk very fast to where I expect Lady Morgana would be, and I found myself stuck in her dust. "Bye, boys!" I exclaimed whilst clumsily saluting the two guards that still did not move a muscle.

After catching up to Gwen, I heard her quietly laughing to herself. "So, what is your name, exactly?"

I laughed slightly at her newfound awkwardness. "My name is Evelyn, though my brother calls me Evie or Eves, and-"

"Brother?"

I raised an eyebrow. "Yeah, I have a brother, a twin, actually."

"What's his name?"

"Why would you want to know?"

She opened her mouth to speak, but as we were going up the stairs there were some knights wearing red capes that walked by us and she stopped. As soon as the men had gotten out of view, she continued, although much quieter, "Is his name Merlin?"


	3. The Dragon's Call (Part II)

**Wills and Fates**

 **The Dragon's Call**

 **Part II**

I immediately stopped walking and forced her to stop in her tracks. "What did my poor sod of a brother do now?"

Gwen's face flushed red and she giggled a bit before answering, "Your brother had a run in with our very own Prince Arthur earlier today. It was very heroic, really."

I rolled my eyes. _Only you, Merlin._ "Please tell me he wasn't stabbed."

Gwen shook her head quickly and continued up the stairs with me following her. "No, he just got thrown into the dungeons. I think he took rather large hit on Arthur's ego."

"So you're insinuating that our prized Prince has a large ego?"

Gwen opened up her mouth to speak, but was cut off by another voice answering for her. "I'm sure Arthur has a big enough ego for all of Camelot," a voice spoke from inside the room Gwen was leading me to.

We walked into what I assumed to be Morgana's chambers to see a very beautiful woman sitting in front of a mirror, fixing up her dark, flawless hair. I felt as though my self-confidence had chosen to take a vacation while being in the same room of the most beautiful women in Camelot, both who had different types of beauty.

"My Lady, Evelyn here was sent by Gaius to give you something to help with your queasiness," Gwen introduced me. I tried my best to curtsy, which probably ended up making me look like I had a metal impediment.

"It's very nice to meet you, Evelyn. I don't get to meet other women my age very often," Morgana spoke, her voice even more perfect up close.

"It's my pleasure, Lady Morgana. Here's the potion, it should help settle your stomach." I handed her the liquid, and she smiled at me and sat it on the vanity beside her bed.

She turned to look at Gwen and I with a rather large grin on her face. "Why were the two of you talking about Arthur?"

Gwen blushed and was about to explain, but I stepped in. "Apparently Prince Arthur and my brother, Merlin, had a bit of a run-in earlier today. My idiot brother is now apparently in the dungeons."

Morgana's eyes widened in alarm. "Is your brother a trouble maker?"

I smirked. "Merlin is the definition of a trouble maker."

Gwen decided to explain the events that occurred earlier in the day, and I could tell she saw what Merlin did as heroic and brave, as did Morgana. But to be honest, I was fighting the urge to go rip my brother a new one. Only Merlin would fail to recognize someone of high power and decide to get in a brawl with them.

 _What happened to keeping our heads down, Merlin?_ Instantly, I could feel his mental shields blocking me. I had to hold back a growl from the back of my throat, admitting to myself it would be odd for Morgana and Gwen to see that.

Morgana looked at me with her light green eyes, hiding her laughter with a well-trained diplomatic face that was on the verge of faltering. "Your brother must be a handful."

I shrugged. "Sometimes. And from the sound of it, Prince Arthur seems to be handful himself."

"Of course he is," Morgana insisted, a sour look crossing her face. "That man is babied beyond measure. I know Uther means the best, but he lets Arthur do whatever he wants and get away with it."

"That's unfortunate," I sympathized. "A Prince should not be arrogant nor used to getting his way. If anything, a Prince should be principled and kind, and open to various beliefs. That is the only way a kingdom will be able to strengthen the bond between the court and the people."

A look of pride flashed across Morgana's face, but was quickly replaced with simple happiness. "I'm glad I'm not the only one who disagrees with the current state of this Kingdom. I look forward to be able to get to know you even more, Evelyn."

The three of us talked for the rest of the day, and Morgana showed me around the rooms, and told stories of her and Arthur growing up. To be honest, this guy was sounding more and more prattish to me the longer she spoke.

But also the more she spoke, I started to realize how she was getting tired, and was paler than what a healthy person should look like. I quickly made a mental note to ask Gaius about it later.

Morgana and Gwen ended up giving me a tour of the castle and upper town, showing me different places to go, things to do, and even some places to shop. It was nice to be able to get along with someone that wasn't related to me.

The conversation died down and we headed back to the castle as the sun started to set over Camelot, and I thanked the two women before heading back to Gaius's quarters where he and a rather dumb-looking brother of mine were waiting for my return.

"I can't believe you got yourself thrown in the dungeons on your first day in Camelot!" I exclaimed as the door closed. "What happened to trying to stay underneath the radar, you idiot!"

Merlin turned to Gaius, who wore a look of amusement. "See Gaius, she thinks I'm an idiot too!"

I quickly walked over to Merlin and wacked him upside the head. " _Owe!_ What was that for?"

"For being stupid enough to get in trouble! Merlin, I'm not always going to be able to save you, so you should seriously start to actually use your brain instead of just jumping into situations with your magic!"

Merlin rolled his eyes. "Evie, I didn't use magic. It was simply my handsome charm that led the Prince Prat to try and strangle me."

"Well I'm glad he didn't strangle you, because now I get to!"

I lunged at him and my hands went for his throat but before he could get in my reach he immediately ran away, dodging my every move. "You ought to work on your quickness, Evie, you're starting to become slow."

"Oh shut up you-"

"Will the two of you stop acting like children?" Gaius asked, his voice serious, but his face was betraying him. "You both need to get some sleep, as there is another long day in store for tomorrow."

The two of us grumbled and decided he was right. I was going to have to run more errands for Gaius, and I bet Merlin has his own things coming.

"Goodnight, Gaius," we said simultaneously before rushing to bed, hopeful for the new day.

 **OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo**

"Morgana likes you, Evie," Gwen insisted, her infectious smile seeming to make the air lighter around us.

"I am glad to hear that, Gwen."

We were walking on the streets through various markets and crowds of people. I learned that Gwen's father was a blacksmith, and it was interesting to hear of stories of people and Gwen's childhood as she grew up here in the middle of all the chaos.

"When I was a girl, I always dreamt of a knight coming and saving me… like a knight in shining armor, if you would call it that."

I laughed a bit, but sobered up at her look of embarrassment. "I'm sure you'll find your knight in shining armor one day, Gwen."

She smiled at me kindly. "I'm sure you'll find your own knight in shining armor too, Evelyn."

I scoffed, and gestured down at myself half-heartedly. "What kind of man would want to marry a girl like me? Just look at me! I hate dresses, my hair is always a mess, and not to mention my personality-"

"Which is absolutely lovely, might I add," Gwen insisted.

"Gwen, seriously. I am not the type of woman that gets married."

Her eyebrows raised. "I didn't know that there was a type."

I just shrugged in response, and my eyes darted everywhere that wasn't Gwen. I didn't really want to go any further with this discussion. There was no reason to discuss this sort of thing.

All of the sudden, a few screams sounded from a block ahead of the two of us, and I had to refrain from face-palming when I realized just who was in the center of the mess.

 _Merlin, I am so going to kill you!_

 _Leave me alone, Evie! I have a certain clotpole I need to worry about!_

"Would you mind excusing me for a second, Gwen?" I asked through clenched teeth. Why do I always have to be the one to play the mature twin?

Gwen nodded. "Where are you going?"

"To save my idiot brother."

I immediately hurried through the crowd that had gathered to see Merlin and someone else fight, and my eyes widened when I saw Merlin slow down on his approach and look into the crowd with a look of worry on his face.

The person he was fighting was a built, blonde man who looked like he must be a knight or fighter of some sort, got up with a broom in hand and was poised to fight back. Sisterly instincts must have taken over, because the next thing I know I grabbed a mop from the opposite corner and blocked his strike at my brother.

The man's deep blue eyes went wide, making my heart leap in my chest, and not in the bad way, either.

 _He's not something to look at, he's something to kick at, Eves!_

"No one picks on my brother but me," I spat, glaring at the handsome man in front of me.

"Is this some sort of joke?" The man laughed, withdrawing his stick from mine with grace and skill before turning back to my brother. "You need a girl to fight your battles?"

I smacked him with the mop, and glared at him as he went sprawling out in front of me. "What is it with men and the need to have power over women?" I asked, bewildered.

The man quickly stood up. "What is it with women and the need to have power over men?"

"Prince Arthur, forgive me, but I need to take my niece and nephew for a bit. I am sorry for the chaos they have caused."

My eyes widened at who must have been in front of me. This was the Prince Prat that Merlin had been going on and on about. Now I see exactly what he meant.

 _Now do you know why I was thrown in the dungeons, dear sister?_

 _Shut up, you idiot. It's all your fault._

"Thank you for stopping this, Gaius," I spoke, my chin held high. "Now I won't have to deal with Camelot's Prince Prat anymore."

Arthur's blue eyes narrowed, taking the sight of me in. "And I won't have to look at this… this… _peasant_ anymore."

He turned on his heel and walked away and I did the same, heading opposite directions. I hurried knowing that behind me Gaius was lecturing Merlin all the way back to his chambers, and I knew it was a matter of time before he turned his wrath on me.

"He needed to be taught a lesson," he said emotionally. My eyes widened as I had never really seen this side of Merlin in a long time.

 _Merlin, please, just calm-_

I felt his walls go up, and I knew whatever I tried to say would be lost to him.

"Magic must be studied and used for good! Not for idiotic pranks!" Gaius exclaimed, stalking towards my twin. I inched towards Merlin, ready to back him up.

"What is there to master? I could move objects like that before I could talk!"

"Then now you should know how to control yourself!"

"I don't want to! If I can't use magic than what do I got?" I reached forward to place a calming hand on his arm, and he took a deep breath before continuing, "I'm just a nobody. And I always will be… if I can't use magic... I might as well die."

I gasped at my brother's words, and can't deny that tears started to pool in my eyes.

He looked at me sadly. "We shall talk to him later, Evelyn. Nothing good can be said now."

I walked out of the chambers, not being able to handle the remaining tension in the room. I allowed tears to flow down my face, and slowly sank to the ground. Merlin was struggling here, and I had left him to deal with the Prince alone… what kind of twin does that make me?


End file.
